Whether it’s making sure a mailing label remains legible all the way to its destination or packing light for vacation, my readers have the best ideas, tips and tricks. Here’s a small sampling from my mail that is sure to both educate and amuse!

photo credit: dinner-mom.com

JUST LIKE GRILLED. If you want the same taste as grilled corn on the cob but don’t have a grill or the time, place one corn cob (do not shuck prior to cooking) in the microwave on high for exactly 3 minutes. Use a potholder to remove the corn from the microwave and while cutting through the entire cob and shucks at the bottom of the corn. The corn will slip easily right out of the shucks and it will taste just like grilled corn. Hmmm…good! Suzy

WATERPROOF LABEL. When mailing packages, I rub a candle across the mailing label to make it waterproof. There’s nothing worse than a package not arriving because the address label met up with a rainstorm en route. Macy

LOAD UP ON SAMPLES. All through the year I obtain samples from various websites or phone apps likeSampleUp.com, FreeSamples.org, Hunt4Freebies.com and and FreebieFindingMom.com, then save them for vacation. Taking samples size containers of shampoo and other personal care products reduces the volume of stuff in our suitcases and leaves nothing to haul home. Carla

MAGIC PLASTIC POOL CLEANER. I wanted to offer a tip for those of us out there that have those soft sided pools, the kind where you inflate the top ring and fill the pool with water. Well I got tired of using those stupid scrub brushes they sell to clean the pool. So one day I whipped out the Mr. Clean magic eraser sponges. Instead of scrubbing for an hour or more, I was done in about 20 minutes on a 15-foot pool. It only took one wipe and the dirt was gone. It may not have saved me a lot of money by using something disposable but it sure saved me a lot of time and a back ache. Myriah

SPILL CONTAINER. When cooking something in my microwave that might boil over, I place a large paper plate under the container. It catches what boils over, making clean-up much easier. Ethel

CLEVER SUB FOR CELERY. Celery usually sells in a bunch, but my husband and I can’t use that much before it spoils. Instead, I keep around cans of water chestnuts to use as a substitute because they are moist and crunchy similar to celery. They work great in stuffing, casseroles, and Chinese wok meals. Melody

BIRTHDAY TRADITION. We have six children and their birthdays fall in the months of August and September. I don’t like wrapping presents or paying for wrapping paper. We have a tradition using a “birthday bag”—the largest, unisex colorful, sturdygift bag I can find. It comes out for each family birthday celebration. Multiple gifts are wrapped in tissue and loaded into the big bag. Our last bag lasted two years, and only had to be given up because we moved. Regardless of how each child celebrates, we have a family-only celebration of cake and ice cream for breakfast on their birthday. The birthday bag is as much a part of this as eating cake in your pajamas, the fake-fur birthday cake hat, and getting thrown into the pool!Juanita

Caught yourself reading all the way 'til the end? Why not share with a friend.

An entire bunch of celery is too much for my husband and me as well, but it’s usually cheaper than any substitute. So when I need celery I buy a bunch, and whatever’s too much gets chopped up and frozen. It loses its crunchy texture after freezing, but you’ll never know in soups or stews! This way I only need to buy celery if I specifically need the crunchy fresh texture, and for those meals where that doesn’t matter, I take some from the freezer. Saves money AND time!

I visited the free sample sites. The first one is not found; two of the remaining three want my date of birth. I feel that is excessive. One just asks gender and an age range age. Don’t know why a company needs my d.o.b. to send me a sample of shampoo. Ann

An entire bunch of celery is a large amount for this house, too. I wash celery as soon as I get it home, cut it into sticks of any size, from half a rib to small dipping size, and wrap them securely in foil, They will stay fresh and crisp longer with this method than any other I’ve found.

Great ideas! I would offer that I frequently pull out the glass tray in my microwave (it has a turntable) and clean it BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD will bother. I try not to use paper plates and paper towels.

the smartest thing is dont eat anything from anybody….just ask them to put it in something so you can take it home to eat later….when you leave their house and get out of their sight find the nearest garbage can…..no feelings hurt and you dont get sick….

Re: rubbing the mailing label with a candle….too much trouble. I’ve shipped a lot of ebay packages and I’ve learned that you should just cover the whole label, not just the edges, with the packing tape (if you use the good, clear kind, not the cheap, yellowish stuff). The lady at the PO told me that they actually prefer that people do this and that it does not hinder the scanning of the bar code at all.

i knew a guy that use to put the corn in a paper sack for a few minutes in the microwave….i forget how many minutes but it wasnt too long….anyway the corn was really tasty…i had never saw that done before…thats been like 20 years ago so i forgot the exact timing on it….i know he didnt even shuck the corn or anything….just put it in a paper sack and away you go…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

How was it?

Comment

Categories

Categories

Welcome to Everyday Cheapskate!

Hi, there … I’m Mary! I believe that you can live below your means where you are consistently spending less than you earn, so you have enough money to save, give and live! The secret is to get clever and creative with how to save time and money every day!

You May Have Seen Me In…

Never miss a daily post or GIVEAWAY and I’ll send you this eBook FREE, too!

Cookie and Privacy Settings

How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our site functions. You can block or delete them by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website.

Referral Links

Sprinkled throughout this site you will see references to my use of affiliate links or referral links. These references are called disclosures and are a requirement put forth by the Federal Trade Commission. They are there to inform you I have a relationship with a particular product or service and if you choose to purchase that product or service via my affiliate link, I will get a small commission. Of course, this is no extra cost to you, but it does help to pay the bills so I can keep bringing you great tips! I truly appreciate your support in this way. Thank you.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visist to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Click to enable/disable Google Webfonts.

Google Map Settings:

Click to enable/disable Google Maps.

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Click to enable/disable video embeds.

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab.